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UK researchers in a spin over magentic data storage

Spintronics paves the way for faster, smaller computers

UK physicists are leading a £2.3m project that aims to produce smaller,
faster computers that store information using magnetism rather than conventional
electrical charges.

The scientists note that magnetism in microelectronic components –
spintronics – is already used for reading high performance hard disks, like
those in iPods. They aim to develop a similar device that can store information
magnetically on a memory chip, instead of needing an electric charge.

Charges leak away and have to be replenished a thousand times a second, but
magnetism doesn't require a power supply. It can also be used to control the
flow of electrons in a component so a chip could re-configure itself in the most
effective way for each calculation it handled.

Unlike the flash memory in digital cameras, spintronic memory can be written
to more quickly and will not wear out. Also, it could make computers less power
hungry, reducing electricity bills and carbon dioxide emissions.

The consortium is led by Professor Brian Hickey at the University of Leeds
and includes Cambridge, Imperial, Durham, Glasgow, Exeter and City universities
and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. It will look at new and existing ways of
applying spintronics, develop new materials and push the limits of our current
understanding of magnetism.

The group – [email protected] – is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences
Research Council (EPSRC) and is supported by some of the world's biggest
hard-drive and electronics manufacturers.